How do you react if you have a car accident with someone and it's not your fault?
Step-by-step:Assess the damage - both to people and property.Call the police, or have someone else call the police. Have EMS requested if there are any injuries, no matter how slight they may appear.Wait for the police to arrive, and do not interact with the other driver(s). If they make any statements to you, ensure you have a witness and write the statement down as soon as possible.Provide the police with your contact and insurance information.Answer all questions posed to you by the police truthfully.Accept any citations given to you by the police - now is not the time to contest a ticket.Contact your insurance company and file a detailed report with them as soon as your interaction with the police is concluded.Contest or request mitigation of any tickets received that you do not believe were appropriate.Remain in constant contact with your insurance company in regard to their resolution of the matter.If you do not believe your insurance company is working fast enough, or in your best interest, or you believe they are low-balling you with a settlement, retain the services of a personal injury attorney in your jurisdiction.
What happens if you get caught in a hit and run?
Practically a week ago, on a Thursday night I was driving home from work and I got into a car accident. I hit somebody in the back, because I looked away for a second and they were stopped right in front of me. I dont know whether they were turning or what, but I didn't get time to process their reason for stopping. Unfortunately, I only have a driving permit and I'm barely 3 weeks away from getting my license so out of instinct I drove off, trying to save myself from losing my license. I didnt drive to far off since my house wasn't that far from the location. I live by a farm road so there were plenty of cars passing by. I don't know if anybody got my license number but I do know that the person didnt follow me after I had drove off. So, I managed to get my smoking car home, where we pushed it into my garage and now a week later, my mom said she saw a cop car at my neighbors house and this neighbor happened to be someone who had helped me get my car in after it broke down at the front gate. They didn't know that I had just done a hit and run because I told them that the person that I hit drove off instead of me driving off. I'm worried now that I might get caught and I'm very worried as to what might happened to me. I wish this would all go away, and I know that the car I hit barely got anything but a bent in bumper. Since there were a lot of witnesses and plenty of cars passing by, I would think that if someone had gotten my license number that they would have found me sooner, possily even that night, am I right?
If someone is killed in a car accident, are they still taken to the hospital?
If EMS determine someone dead at the scene, they are not allowed to transport the dead to the hospital. They can start CPR, but if it yields no results, the coroner is called and he arranges for a mortician to pick them up after investigation. This is the National Standard for EMS. However, local protocols may allow this, but it's unheard of to me. It depends on the Doctor, who's licensure the Medics are operating under. My local protocols do not allow us to do that.
Whose fault is it if a driver gets into an accident with an ambulance (sirens activated)en route to the hospital?
[former Paramedic; current Firefighter / Engineer]It depends upon a whole lot of different factors, including how emergency vehicles are regulated (allowed to operate) by state and/or local laws in a particular place (and the rules vary widely all across the USA, and even more so country to country).Drivers of emergency vehicles are often granted permission to exceed posted speed limits, and proceed through controlled intersections against the controlling signal (e.g., a red traffic light). But, they are also required to exercise appropriate caution and due diligence, keep their emergency vehicle under control at all times, and drive in a defensive manner.Drivers of non-emergency vehicles are, at least in most parts of the US, required to yield right-of-way to an emergency vehicle displaying emergency lighting and/or sounding a siren. That means pulling to the right and stopping (both sides of the road) to allow the emergency vehicle to pass, and yielding intersections to emergency vehicles.So, if there is a traffic collision between an emergency vehicle and a non-emergency vehicle, one or both of the drivers did something wrong. Typically, it’s the driver of the non-emergency vehicle who failed to yield at an intersection, and hits an emergency vehicle passing through the intersection. But, the driver of the emergency vehicle is supposed to anticipate this potential scenario, and make sure all traffic is stopped before entering the intersection (where I work, it’s stop (often a rolling stop), look, then “take” one lane of the intersection at a time).An emergency vehicle hitting a car / truck that pulled out in front of it could also be considered to be partially the fault of the emergency vehicle driver… driving too fast and not maintaining sufficient control to avoid a collision.So you can see how a collision could actually be the result of failures on the part of both drivers.Ultimately, it would be up to law enforcement to decide, based upon applicable laws, who was at fault (and in the end, some level of fault might be attributed to both drivers). If criminal or civil charges resulted from the collision, then a judge or jury would get to make the final decision, and mete out appropriate penalties.Of course, even if the driver of the emergency vehicle was operating within legal limits, if they violated any organizational policies or SOPs, they might still face disciplinary action, up to and possibly including being fired from their job.
What happens if an ambulance is responding to a call and the driver sees a horrific traffic accident happen?
R1: “Rescue 1 to dispatch, we've encountered a two car MVC/MVA (Motor vehicle collision/ crash/ accident) at Rigglesworth and Johnnysville, head on at combined 45 miles per hour. How should we proceed?”D: “Rescue 1 take the MVC.”D: “Rescue 2”R2: “Rescue 2”D: “Rescue 2 please respond to 123 4th street for for transport of near syncopal, 12 year old male. Car 1 on scene.”R2: “Rescue 2 Received”To translate for those who don't understand:Rescue 1 was on route to a scene with a 12 year old male who almost passed out. It happens to be at a football field in summer and a paramedic in a fly car is on scene. The paramedic can treat the patient but needs an ambulance to transport.“We've witnessed a head on crash, 45 mph combined between the two vehicles. What should we do?”Dispatch orders R1 to respond to the collision.Dispatch orders R2 to the original scene, and gives basic information. R2 may then ask C1 details about the situation or where to pull the ambulance.Depending on the severity of the original call, R1 may be told to continue and R2 dispatched to the MVA, but it depends on dispatch, the ambulances location, the available resources, the severity of the call, and the services/ state protocol.
What happens if an ambulance hits another vehicle on the way to an emergency? Will the driver be charged with a crime?
I love sharing funny stories from my career, so here's a short one. I worked for a private company, 911 contractor and medical transportation. One day, two of our units were passing each other driving the opposite direction on a narrow bridge. Naturally, both drivers waved. And side swiped each other.The only accident that I was involved in (other than getting my rig stuck in a ditch twice) was when we were rear-ended at a traffic light. Typical transfer of paperwork with the other driver, police report, and (strangely to me since we were stopped at the moment of impact) a drug test for my partner behind the wheel.If I had been involved in a minor accident while caring for a critical patient, honestly I would likely have notified the emergency system and carried on. I would be willing to take the responsibility of leaving the scene of a fender bender to save the life of my patient. Something more serious, I would absolutely stop to assess patients - at that point you essentially have a mass casualty incident.
Ca you get in trouble for accidentally hitting a goose??
i was driving on the garden state parkway and out of nowhere a flock of geese landed in the middle of the highway. i tried stopping but i was going at least 55 mph and they were so close that it was too late. i couldn't swerve into other lanes because 1) geese were in all three lanes and 2) there were cars that could have potentially hit me. mind you this all happened in like less than 10 seconds. i hit a goose...maybe two :(
Is it illegal to pull off to the side of the road and nap in your car?
On a freeway it's illegal to pull over on the shoulder, except in an emergency. There's a very good reason for this. I was going home on Christmas Eve a few years ago & came upon an accident. A family was traveling & got tired so they pulled over where the shoulder was very wide & went to sleep. While they were there a drunk rear-ended them. One person in the car died. Of course the drunk was fine. If you can't find a rest area, I recommend a cheap hotel. Any road is dangerous, as is sleeping alone in a dark, empty parking lot. Just keep a little emergency money with you (hotel/car emergency fund) and plan your trip so you can plan where rest stops or truck stops will be. That way you can stop where it's safe before you get too tired to continue.
What happens if you hit a pedestrian in a neighborhood?
This morning as I was making a left turn I noticed a white van approaching, I knew I had enough time and room to make the turn so I did. Checking both the car and the direction I was heading in I continued to drive. Next thing I know a lady flies off my windshield, as I open my door I noticed a lady is on the floor holding her head. (wearing ear phones) She is conscious even though she has a massive blow to her head. The truck That i had originally made the turn in front of got off the car and called ems, he asked the lady if she wanted paper towels, she said yes, so he gave her paper towels and she put them on her head while also wiping her face. The police arrive and only talks to the witness. After he talks to the witness he asks for my license and registration. As I gave the cop my stuff he takes it and goes to his car. After he hands me my stuff back and asks for my phone number. The officer does not question me at all or merely even talks to me. Later he talked to the paramedics as they were about to take the lady to the hospital. As all the clutter is cleared off my street, I noticed broken sunglasses on the floor. The paper that the officer gave me said nothing at who was at fault except the name of the lady and the case #. What happens next??? She was clearly negligent when she can't hear and can't see clearly of where she's going. Please any help would be greatly appreciated.